Vibration isolation within disk drive testing systems

ABSTRACT

A disk drive test slot includes a housing that defines a test compartment for receiving and supporting a disk drive transporter carrying a disk drive for testing. The housing also defines an open end that provides access to the test compartment for insertion and removal of disk drive transporter carrying a disk drive for testing. The disk drive test slot also includes a mounting plate connected to the housing. One or more isolators are disposed between the housing and the mounting plate. The one or more isolators are operable to inhibit transmission of vibrational energy between the housing and the mounting plate.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation and claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §120 of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/105,105, filed Apr.17, 2008. The disclosure of the prior application is considered part of,and is incorporated by reference in, the disclosure of this application.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to isolating vibrations in a disk drive testingsystem.

BACKGROUND

Disk drive manufacturers typically test manufactured disk drives forcompliance with a collection of requirements. Test equipment andtechniques exist for testing large numbers of disk drives serially or inparallel. Manufacturers tend to test large numbers of disk drivessimultaneously or in batches. Disk drive testing systems typicallyinclude one or more tester racks having multiple test slots that receivedisk drives for testing. In some cases, the disk drives are placed incarriers which are used for loading and unloading the disk drives to andfrom the test racks.

The testing environment immediately around the disk drive is closelyregulated. Minimum temperature fluctuations in the testing environmentare critical for accurate test conditions and for safety of the diskdrives. The latest generations of disk drives, which have highercapacities, faster rotational speeds and smaller head clearance, aremore sensitive to vibration. Excess vibration can affect the reliabilityof test results and the integrity of electrical connections. Under testconditions, the drives themselves can propagate vibrations throughsupporting structures or fixtures to adjacent units. This vibration“cross-talking,” together with external sources of vibration,contributes to bump errors, head slap and non-repetitive run-out (NRRO),which may result in lower yields and increased manufacturing costs.Current disk drive testing systems employ automation and structuralsupport systems that contribute to excess vibrations in the systemand/or require large footprints.

In some cases, in order to combat undesirable vibrations, disk drivesare clamped to a carrier and/or to a tester rack in such a manner as toinhibit or dampen vibrations. A well known way of inhibiting the effectsof vibration originating at the disk drive is to mount the disk drive toa mounting device (e.g., a carrier) such that a center of rotation ofthe mounting device is outside of the footprint of the disk drive. Forexample, FIG. 1 shows a conventional disk drive mounting arrangement(e.g., for a disk drive test apparatus 50). As shown in FIG. 1, theapparatus 50 includes a carrier 52 having a disk drive receiving portion54 for receiving a disk drive 600 therein. The disk drive 600 is rigidlyconnected to the carrier 52 (e.g., with fasteners 56 and/or clamps 57).The carrier 52 is received in bay 62 of a chassis 60, which may includeplural bays (e.g., multiple rows and or columns of bays). A mountingarrangement supports the carrier 52 within the chassis 60 such that acenter of rotation 58 of the carrier 52 is spaced a distance away fromthe disk drive receiving portion 54 and the disk drive 600. Knownmounting arrangements include, for example, a pin 64 about which thecarrier 52 can pivot. Arrow 70 illustrates the resultant movement of thecarrier 52 relative to the chassis 60 effected by rotation (arrow 72) ofa disk 620 of the disk drive 600 in the carrier 52.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a disk drive test slot includes a housing that defines atest compartment for receiving and supporting a disk drive transportercarrying a disk drive for testing. The housing also defines an open endthat provides access to the test compartment for insertion and removalof disk drive transporter carrying a disk drive for testing. The diskdrive test slot also includes a mounting plate connected to the housing.One or more isolators are disposed between the housing and the mountingplate. The one or more isolators are operable to inhibit transmission ofvibrational energy between the housing and the mounting plate.

Embodiments can include one or more of the following features.

In some embodiments, the main body member includes one or moreself-clinching studs connecting the main body member to at least one ofthe one or more isolators.

In some implementations, the one or more isolators include a male-femaleisolator. The male-female isolator can include a body formed of urethaneelastomer.

In some embodiments, the one or more isolators include one or moregrommets. In some cases, the one or more grommets are displaceablerelative to the mounting plate. In some examples, the housing includes aplurality of contact pins each of which engage a corresponding one ofthe grommets. The contact pins can be disposed at a first end of thehousing opposite the open end. The mounting plate can include a mainbody member, and a flange member connected to main body member andconfigured to receive and support the grommets. The flange member can beconfigured to support the grommets in a position spaced apart from themain body member. In some cases, the flange member includes a pluralityof forked openings each configured to receive and support one of thegrommets. The housing can be connected to the grommets in such a manneras to preload the grommets. The grommets can be formed of thermoplasticvinyl. In some examples, the one or more isolators also include one ormore male-female isolators disposed between the housing and the mountingplate.

In some embodiments, the one or more isolators include a plurality ofsaid isolators each disposed between the housing and the mounting plate,wherein the plurality of isolators are each operable to inhibittransmission of vibrational energy between the housing and the mountingplate.

In some implementations, in the absence of a disk drive and a disk drivetransporter, the test slot housing carries substantially no movingparts.

According to another aspect, a disk drive testing system includes aplurality of test slots. Each of the test slots includes a housing, anda mounting plate assembly. Each of the housings define a testcompartment for receiving and supporting a disk drive transportercarrying a disk drive for testing, and an open end providing access tothe test compartment for insertion and removal of disk drive transportercarrying a disk drive for testing. The mounting plate assembly isconnected to the housing. The disk drive testing system also includes achassis that defines a plurality of test slot receptacles eachconfigured to receive and support one of the test slots. Each of thetest slot receptacles includes a corresponding card guide assemblyconfigured to releasably engage one of the mounting plate assemblies.

Embodiments can include one or more of the following features. In someembodiments the test slots are each independently removable from thechassis.

In some implementations, the mounting plate assemblies are operable toinhibit transmission of vibrational energy between the test slothousings and the chassis.

In some embodiments, at least one of the mounting plate assembliesincludes a mounting plate, and one or more isolators disposed betweenthe mounting plate and an associated one of the test slot housings. Theone or more isolators are operable to inhibit transmission ofvibrational energy between the associated one of the housings and themounting plate. The mounting plate can include a mounting flange sizedto fit within one of the card guide assemblies to provide a mechanicalconnection between the associated test slot and the chassis. The one ormore isolators can include one or more grommets. In some cases, thegrommets are displaceable relative to the mounting plate. The housingscan include a plurality of contact pins each of which engages acorresponding one of the grommets. The one or more isolators can includeone or a male-female isolators.

In some implementations, the chassis includes test electronicsconfigured to communicate a functional test routine to a disk drivewithin one of the test slots. In some examples, at least one of the testslots also includes a connection interface circuit configured to provideelectrical communication between the test electronics and a disk drivewithin the test compartment of the at least one of the test slots.

In some embodiments, the test slots are interchangeable with each otherwithin the test slot receptacles.

In yet another aspect, a disk drive testing system includes a pluralityof test slots. Each test slot includes a housing defining a testcompartment for receiving and supporting a disk drive transportercarrying a disk drive for testing, and an open end providing access tothe test compartment for insertion and removal of disk drive transportercarrying a disk drive for testing. Each test slot also includes amounting plate, and one or more isolators disposed between the housingand the mounting plate. The one or more isolators being operable toinhibit transmission of vibrational energy between the housing and themounting plate. The disk drive testing system can also include a chassisdefining a plurality of test slot receptacles each configured to receiveand support one of the test slots. In some cases, the test slots areeach independently removable from the chassis.

Embodiments can include one or more of the following features. In someimplementations, the test slot receptacles are each configured toreleasably engage one of the test slot mounting plates therebymechanically connecting the associated test slot to the chassis.

In some embodiments, the isolators are operable to inhibit transmissionof vibrational energy between the test slot housings and the chassis.

In some implementations, the isolators include grommets.

In some embodiments, the isolators include male-female isolators

In some implementations, in the absence of a disk drive and a disk drivetransporter, the test slot housings carry substantially no moving parts.

In some embodiments, the chassis includes test electronics configured tocommunicate a functional test routine to a disk drive within one of thetest slots. In some cases, a first one of the test slots includes aconnection interface circuit configured to provide electricalcommunication between the test electronics and a disk drive within thetest compartment of the first one of the test slots.

In some implementations, the test slots are interchangeable with eachother within the test slot receptacles.

In another aspect, a disk drive test slot includes a housing defining atest compartment for receiving and supporting a disk drive transportercarrying a disk drive for testing, and an open end providing access tothe test compartment for insertion and removal of disk drive transportercarrying a disk drive for testing. The disk drive test slot can alsoinclude a mounting plate connected to the housing, and a plurality offloating contacts disposed between the housing and the mounting plateand operable to inhibit transmission of vibrational energy between thehousing and the mounting plate. The floating contacts are displaceablerelative to the mounting plate.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a disk drive mounting arrangement of theprior art.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a disk drive testing system.

FIG. 3A is perspective view of a test rack.

FIG. 3B is a detailed perspective view of a slot bank from the test rackof FIG. 2A.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a test slot assembly.

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of a transfer station.

FIG. 5B is a perspective view of a tote and disk drive.

FIG. 6A is a top view of a disk drive testing system.

FIG. 6B is a perspective view of a disk drive testing system.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views of a disk drive transporter.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a disk drive transporter supporting adisk drive.

FIG. 8B is a perspective view of a disk drive transporter carrying adisk drive aligned for insertion into a test slot.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are schematic views of self-test and functional testcircuitry.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a test slot.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a mounting plate assembly.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a male-female isolator.

FIGS. 14A-14C are perspective views of a test slot housing.

FIGS. 15A-15D illustrate assembly of a test slot.

FIGS. 16 and 17 are front and rear perspective views of a test slotshowing a connection interface board mounted to the test slot housing.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a test slot showing a rear portion ofthe test slot housing enclosed by a cover.

FIG. 19 is plan view of a test slot with a disk drive therein.

FIGS. 20A-20F illustrate movements of the test housing relative to themounting plate assembly of the test slot of FIG. 19.

FIGS. 21A-21C illustrate movements of a floating center of the housing.

FIGS. 22A-22D illustrate the mounting of test slots within a slot bankof a test rack.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION System Overview

As shown in FIG. 2, a disk drive testing system 10 includes a pluralityof test racks 100 (e.g., 10 test racks shown), a transfer station 200,and a robot 300. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, each test rack 100generally includes a chassis 102. The chassis 102 can be constructedfrom a plurality of structural members 104 (e.g., extruded aluminum,steel tubing, and/or composite members) which are fastened together andtogether define a plurality of slot banks 110. Each slot bank 110 cansupport a plurality of test slot assemblies 120. As shown in FIG. 4,each test slot assembly 120 includes a disk drive transporter 400 and atest slot 500. The disk drive transporter 400 is used for capturing diskdrives 600 (e.g., from the transfer station 200) and for transportingthe disk drive 600 to one of the test slots 500 for testing.

Referring to FIG. 5A, in some implementations, the transfer station 200includes a transfer station housing 210 and multiple tote presentationsupport systems 220 disposed on the transfer station housing 210. Eachtote presentation support system 220 is configured to receive andsupport a disk drive tote 260 in a presentation position for servicingby the robot 300.

In some implementations, the tote presentation support systems 220 areeach disposed on the same side of the transfer station housing 210 andarranged vertically with respect to the others. Each tote presentationsupport systems 220 has a different elevation with respect to theothers. In some examples, as shown in FIG. 5A, the tote presentationsupport system 220 includes tote support arms 226 configured to bereceived by respective arm grooves 266 (FIG. 5B) defined by the diskdrive tote 260.

A tote mover 230 is disposed on the transfer station housing 210 and isconfigured to move relative thereto. The tote mover 230 is configured totransfer the totes 260 between the tote presentation support systems 220for servicing by the disk drive testing system 10 (e.g. by the robot300) and a staging area 250 where the totes 260 can be loaded into andunloaded from the transfer station 200 (e.g., by an operator).

As illustrated in FIG. 5B, the totes 260 include a tote body 262 whichdefines multiple disk drive receptacles 264 (e.g., 18 shown) that areeach configured to house a disk drive 600. Each of the disk drivereceptacles 264 includes a disk drive support 265 configured to supporta central portion of a received disk drive 600 to allow manipulation ofthe disk drive 600 along non-central portions. The tote body 262 alsodefines arm grooves 266 that are configured to engage the tote supportarms 226 (FIG. 5A) of the transfer station housing 210 thereby tosupport the tote 260 (e.g., for servicing by the robot 300 (FIG. 2)).

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the robot 300 includes a robotic arm 310and a manipulator 312 (FIG. 6A) disposed at a distal end of the roboticarm 310. The robotic arm 310 defines a first axis 314 normal to a floorsurface 316 and is operable to rotate through a predetermined arc aboutand extends radially from the first axis 314. The robotic arm 310 isconfigured to independently service each test slot 500 by transferringdisk drives 600 between the transfer station 200 and one of the testracks 100. In particular, the robotic arm 310 is configured to remove adisk drive transporter 400 from one of the test slots 500 with themanipulator 312, then pick up a disk drive 600 from one the disk drivereceptacles 264 at the transfer station 200 with the disk drivetransporter 400, and then return the disk drive transporter 400, with adisk drive 600 therein, to the test slot 500 for testing of the diskdrive 600. After testing, the robotic arm 310 retrieves the disk drivetransporter 400, along with the supported disk drive 600, from one ofthe test slots 500 and returns it to one of the disk drive receptacles264 at the transfer station 200 by manipulation of the disk drivetransporter 400 (i.e., with the manipulator 312).

Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, the disk drive transporter 400 includes aframe 410 and a clamping mechanism 450. The frame 410 includes a faceplate 412. As shown in FIG. 7A, along a first surface 414, the faceplate 412 defines an indentation 416. The indentation 416 can bereleaseably engaged by the manipulator 312 (FIG. 6A) of the robotic arm310, which allows the robotic arm 310 to grab and move the transporter400. As shown in FIG. 7B, the face plate 412 also includes beveled edges417. When the frame 410 is inserted into one of the test slots 500, thebeveled edges 417 of the face plate 412 abut complimentary beveled edges562 (FIG. 14A) of the test slot 500 to form a seal, which, as describedbelow, helps to inhibit the flow of air into and out of the of the testslot 500. This may be particularly beneficial, for example, when diskdrive transporters 400 are inserted into and removed from the test slots500 via a robot 300. In use, one of the disk drive transporters 400 isremoved from one of the test slots 500 with the robot 300 (e.g., bygrabbing, or otherwise engaging, the indentation 416 of the transporter400 with the manipulator 312 of the robot 300). The frame 410 defines asubstantially U-shaped opening 415 formed by sidewalls 418 and a baseplate 420 that collectively allow the frame 410 to fit around the diskdrive support 265 (FIG. 5B) in the tote 260 (FIG. 5B) so that the diskdrive transporter 400 can be moved (e.g., via the robotic arm 300) intoa position beneath one of the disk drives 600 housed in one of the diskdrive receptacles 264 of the tote 260. The disk drive transporter 400can then be raised (e.g., by the robotic arm 310) into a positionengaging the disk drive 600 for removal off of the disk drive support265 in the tote 260.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B, with the disk drive 600 in placewithin the frame 410 of the disk drive transporter 400, the disk drivetransporter 400 and the disk drive 600 together can be moved by therobotic arm 310 (FIG. 6A) for placement within one of the test slots500. The manipulator 312 (FIG. 6A) is also configured to initiateactuation of a clamping mechanism 450 disposed in the disk drivetransporter 400. A detailed description of the manipulator and otherdetails and features combinable with those described herein may be foundin the following U.S. patent application filed Apr. 17, 2008, entitled“Transferring Disk Drives Within Disk Drive Testing Systems”, withinventors: Evgeny Polyakov et al., and having assigned Ser. No.12/104,536, the entire contents of the aforementioned application ishereby incorporated by reference. This allows actuation of the clampingmechanism 450 before the transporter 400 is moved from the tote 260 tothe test slot 500 to inhibit movement of the disk drive 600 relative tothe disk drive transporter 400 during the move. Prior to insertion inthe test slot 500, the manipulator 312 can again actuate the clampingmechanism 450 to release the disk drive 600 within the frame 410. Thisallows for insertion of the disk drive transporter 400 into one of thetest slots 500, until the disk drive 600 is in a test position with adisk drive connector 610 engaged with a test slot connector 574 (FIG.16). The clamping mechanism 450 may also be configured to engage thetest slot 500, once received therein, to inhibit movement of the diskdrive transporter 400 relative to the test slot 500. In suchimplementations, once the disk drive 600 is in the test position, theclamping mechanism 450 is engaged again (e.g., by the manipulator 312)to inhibit movement of the disk drive transporter 400 relative to thetest slot 500. The clamping of the transporter 400 in this manner canhelp to reduce vibrations during testing. A detailed description of theclamping mechanism 450 and other details and features combinable withthose described herein may be found in the following U.S. patentapplication filed Dec. 18, 2007, entitled “DISK DRIVE TRANSPORT,CLAMPING AND TESTING”, with inventors: Brian Merrow et al., and havingassigned Ser. No. 11/959,133, the entire contents of the which arehereby incorporated by reference.

Referring to FIG. 9, in some implementations, the disk drive testingsystem 10 also includes at least one computer 130 in communication withthe test slots 500. The computer 130 may be configured to provideinventory control of the disk drives 600 and/or an automation interfaceto control the disk drive testing system 10. Test electronics 160 are incommunication with each test slot 500. The test electronics 160 areconfigured to communicate with a disk dive 600 received by within thetest slot 500.

Referring to FIG. 10, a power system 170 supplies power to the diskdrive testing system 10. The power system 170 may monitor and/orregulate power to the received disk drive 600 in the test slot 500. Inthe example illustrated in FIG. 10, the test electronics 160 within eachtest rack 100 include at least one self-testing system 180 incommunication with at least one test slot 500. The self-testing system180 tests whether the test rack 100 and/or specific sub-systems, such asthe test slot 500, are functioning properly. The self-testing system 180includes a cluster controller 181, one or more connection interfacecircuits 182 each in electrical communication with a disk drive 600received within the test slot 500, and one or more block interfacecircuits 183 in electrical communication with the connection interfacecircuit 182. The cluster controller 181, in some examples, is configuredto run one or more testing programs with a capacity of approximately 120self-tests and/or 60 functionality tests of disk drives 600. Theconnection interface circuits 182 and the block interface circuit(s) 183are configured to self-test. However, the self-testing system 180 mayinclude a self-test circuit 184 configured to execute and control aself-testing routine on one or more components of the disk drive testingsystem 10. The cluster controller 181 may communicate with the self-testcircuit 184 via Ethernet (e.g. Gigabit Ethernet), which may communicatewith the block interface circuit(s) 183 and onto the connectioninterface circuit(s) 182 and disk drive(s) 600 via universalasynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) serial links. A UART is usuallyan individual (or part of an) integrated circuit used for serialcommunications over a computer or peripheral device serial port. Theblock interface circuit(s) 183 is/are configured to control power to andtemperature of the test slots 500, and each block interface circuit 183may control one or more of the test slots 500 and/or disk drives 600.

In some examples, the test electronics 160 can also include at least onefunctional testing system 190 in communication with at least one testslot 500. The functional testing system 190 tests whether a receiveddisk drive 600, held and/or supported in the test slot 500 by the diskdrive transporter 400, is functioning properly. A functionality test mayinclude testing the amount of power received by the disk drive 600, theoperating temperature, the ability to read and write data, and theability to read and write data at different temperatures (e.g. readwhile hot and write while cold, or vice versa). The functionality testmay test every memory sector of the disk drive 600 or only randomsamplings. The functionality test may test an operating temperature ofair around the disk drive 600 and also the data integrity ofcommunications with the disk drive 600. The functional testing system190 includes a cluster controller 181 and at least one functionalinterface circuit 191 in electrical communication with the clustercontroller 181. A connection interface circuit 182 is in electricalcommunication with a disk drive 600 received within the test slot 500and the functional interface circuit 191. The functional interfacecircuit 191 is configured to communicate a functional test routine tothe disk drive 600. The functional testing system 190 may include acommunication switch 192 (e.g. Gigabit Ethernet) to provide electricalcommunication between the cluster controller 181 and the one or morefunctional interface circuits 191. Preferably, the computer 130,communication switch 192, cluster controller 181, and functionalinterface circuit 191 communicate on an Ethernet network. However, otherforms of communication may be used. The functional interface circuit 191may communicate to the connection interface circuit 182 via Parallel ATAttachment (a hard disk interface also known as IDE, ATA, ATAPI, UDMAand PATA), SATA, or SAS (Serial Attached SCSI).

Test Slot

As shown in FIG. 11, each of the test slots 500 includes a housing 550that is mounted to and supported by a mounting plate assembly 502. Asshown in FIG. 12 the mounting plate assembly 502 includes a mountingplate 504 that includes a main body member 506, a flange member 508, anda handle 510. The main body member 506 also includes a pair ofself-clinching studs 512 (one shown), such as available fromPennEngineering of Danboro, Pa., which are press fit into through holes514 in the main body member 506. The self-clinching studs 512 generallyinclude a threaded screw portion 516 and a head 518 disposed at a firstend 517 of the screw portion 516. As illustrated in FIG. 12, thethreaded screw portion passes through the through hole 514 in the mainbody member 506 and the head 518 engages the main body member 506 in apress-fit manner, thereby securing the self-clinching studs 512 againstmovement relative to the main body member 506.

The mounting plate assembly 502 also includes a pair of isolators (e.g.,male-female isolators 520). As shown in FIG. 13, the male-femaleisolators 520 generally include a body portion 522 formed from amechanical vibration isolating material, such as urethane elastomer,e.g., having a durometer of between about 45 shore A and about 60 shoreA. The body portion 522 is sandwiched between a female threaded fastener524, disposed at a first end 525 of the body portion 522, and a malethreaded fastener 526 male threaded fastener 526 disposed at a secondend 527 of the body portion 522. As illustrated in FIG. 12, themale-female isolators 520 are fastened the main body member 506 byscrewing the female threaded fastener 524 of the male-female isolators520 on to one of the self-clinching studs 512.

Referring still to FIG. 12, the mounting plate assembly 502 alsoincludes a pair of isolators (e.g., grommets 530). The grommets 530 maybe formed from a mechanical vibration isolating material, such asthermoplastic vinyl, e.g., having a durometer of between about 45 shoreA and about 60 shore A.

This multiple isolator arrangement also provides the ability to tune thetest slot 500 (e.g., via isolator selection) to better isolateparticular frequencies and axes of interest. For example, if a drive wassensitive to y-rotary (rotation about the long axis of the drive), theisolators (e.g., the male-female isolators 520 and/or the grommets 530)could be made stiffer (e.g., replaced with harder components) to limit yrotation. As shown in FIG. 12, the flange member 508 defines a pair ofU-shaped indentures or forked openings 532 each of which is configuredto receive and support one of the grommets 530. The main body member 506also defines a pair of mounting flanges 534, which, as discussed below,are configured to form a mounting connection with the test rack chassis102.

Referring to FIGS. 14A and 14B, as mentioned above, each of the testslots 500 also includes a housing 550 having a base 552, first andsecond upstanding walls 553 a, 553 b and first and second covers 554 a,554 b. In the illustrated embodiment, the first cover 554 a isintegrally molded with the base 552 and the upstanding walls 553 a, 553b. The housing 550 defines an internal cavity 556 which includes a rearportion 557 and a front portion 558. The front portion 558 defines atest compartment 560 for receiving and supporting one of the disk drivetransporters 400. The base 552, upstanding walls 553 a, 553 b, and thefirst cover 514 a together define a first open end 561, which providesaccess to the test compartment 560 (e.g., for inserting and removing thedisk drive transporter 400), and the beveled edges 562, which abut theface plate 412 of a disk drive transporter 400 inserted in the test slot500 to provide a seal that inhibits the flow of air into and out of thetest slot 500 via the first open end 561. The first upstanding wall 553a defines an inlet aperture 551 and an outlet aperture 555. The inletand outlet apertures 551, 555 extend between an outer surface 559 (FIGS.14B and 14C) of the housing 550 and the internal cavity 556.

As shown in FIG. 14A, the rear portion 557 of the internal cavity 556includes a pair of through holes 563 that are configured to receive themale threaded fasteners 526 of the male-female isolators 520 (see, e.g.,FIGS. 12 & 13) therein. As shown in FIG. 14B, the through holes 563extend from the internal cavity 556, through to a pair of counterborerecesses 564 formed along a bottom surface 565 of the base 552 of thehousing 550. As discussed in greater detail below, the counterborerecesses 564 are each configured to receive the body portion 522 of acorresponding the male-female isolators 520 therein. The housing 550also includes a plurality of mounting holes 549 to receive mountinghardware, e.g., screws, for mounting the second cover member 554 b and aconnection interface board 570 (described below; see also, e.g., FIG.16) to the housing 550.

Referring to FIG. 14C, the housing 550 also includes a pair of contactpins 566 disposed along a second end 567 of the housing 550. The contactpins 566 are sized to engage the grommets 530 of the mounting plateassembly 502. The housing 550 is mounted to the mounting plate assembly502 by first placing the grommets 530 around the contact pins 566, asshown in FIG. 15A. Then, the second end 567 of the housing 550 isaligned with the mounting plate 504 such that the contact pins 566 andgrommets 530 are substantially aligned with the forked openings 532 inthe flange member 508, as shown in FIG. 15B. When aligned properly, themale-female isolators 520 will sit at least partially within thecounterbore recesses 564 (FIG. 14B). As illustrated in FIG. 15C,following alignment, the housing 550 is displaced relative to themounting plate 504, as indicated by arrow 568, such that the grommets530 and contact pins 566 come to rest with the forked openings 532 andsuch that the male threaded fasteners 526 extend through the throughholes 563 and into the internal cavity 556. As shown in FIG. 15D, withthe grommets 530 and contact pins 566 disposed within the forkedopenings 532, and with the male threaded fasteners 526 of the isolators520 extending into the internal cavity 556, threaded nuts 569 arefastened to the male threaded fasteners 526 thereby providing a securemechanical connection between the housing 550 and the mounting plateassembly 502.

As shown in FIG. 16, the rear portion 557 of the internal cavity 556houses a connection interface board 570, which carries the connectioninterface circuit 182 (FIGS. 9 and 10). The connection interface board570 extends between the test compartment 560 and the second end 567 ofthe housing 550. A plurality of electrical connectors 572 are disposedalong a distal end 573 of the connection interface board 570. Theelectrical connectors 572 provide for electrical communication betweenthe connection interface circuit 182 and the test electronics 160 (e.g.,self test system 180 and/or functional test system 190) in theassociated test rack 100. The connection interface board 570 alsoincludes a test slot connector 574, arranged at a proximal end 575 ofthe connection interface board 570, which provides for electricalcommunication between the connection interface circuit 182 and a diskdrive 600 in the test slot 500. As shown in FIG. 16, the test slothousing 550 can also include a ducting conduit 540 disposed within theinternal cavity 556. The ducting conduit 540 is configured to convey anair flow from the inlet aperture 551, i.e., from a source external tothe housing 550, towards the test compartment 560. The ducting conduit540 is configured to direct an air flow underneath a disk drive 600disposed within the test compartment 560, with a return air flow to flowover the disk drive 600 and back towards the outlet aperture 555. Anelectric heating assembly 726 is disposed within a first opening 542 inthe ducting conduit 540 and is configured to heat an air flow beingconveyed through the ducting conduit 540. The electric heating assembly726 includes a heater heatsink 728 and an electric heating device (e.g.,an resistive heater 729). The resistive heater 729 is electricallyconnected to the connection interface board 570, and is configured forelectrical communication with the test electronics 160 (e.g., via theconnection interface circuit 182). The resistive heater 729 is operableto convert an electric current (e.g., provided by the test electronics160) into heat energy, which is used for heating the heater heatsink728, which, in turn, is used to heat an air flow passing through theducting conduit 540. In the absence of a disk drive 600 and a disk drivetransporter 400, the housing 500 carries substantially no moving parts.A detailed description of the electric heating assembly 726 and otherdetails and features combinable with those described herein may be foundin the following U.S. patent application filed Apr. 17, 2008, entitled“Temperature Control within Disk Drive Testing Systems, with inventor:Brian Merrow, and having assigned Ser. No. 12/105,103, the entirecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

As shown in FIG. 17, the connection interface board 570 overlaps thegrommets 530 along the second end 567 of the housing 550, therebysandwiching the grommets 530, or at least a portion thereof, between theflange member 508 and the connection interface board 570. The connectioninterface board 570 is fastened to the housing 550, e.g., with fasteners576, in such a manner as to preload the grommets 530. The grommets 530are mechanically preloaded to achieve optimum performance of resistanceto vibration and shock. Optimum performance of vibration and shock isgenerally achieved with up to 5 percent preloading of the grommets 530.

Referring to FIG. 18, once assembled, the male-female isolators 520(FIG. 12) permit movement of the housing 550 relative to the mountingplate 504 all six-degrees of freedom (i.e., X, Y, Z, Roll, Pitch andYaw). The grommets 530 are substantially constrained, within the forkedopenings 532, in all directions except for the negative Y-direction. Asshown in FIG. 20A, the grommets 530 and forked openings 532 effectivelyform a pair of floating contacts (one shown in FIG. 20A), i.e., firstand second floating contacts 580 a, 580 b (see, e.g., FIG. 19), aboutwhich the housing can move (e.g., in a rocking motion) relative to themounting plate 504.

Referring to FIG. 19, vibrations often arise as a result of therotation, as indicated by arrow 581, of a disk 620 (e.g., a magneticdisk) within the disk drive 600. As a result, during testing, rotationof a disk 620 and head movements in the disk drive 600 being testedinduces movements of the housing 550. As illustrated in FIGS. 20A-20C,this arrangement allows the grommets 530 and contact pins 566 to movewithin the corresponding forked opening 532 (see also FIG. 12), therebyallowing a displacement of a position of the housing 550 relative to themounting plate 504. In particular, the grommets 530 can travel in linearmotions, e.g., side-to-side along the X-axis (as indicated by arrow 535in FIG. 20A) and/or front-to-back along the Y-axis (as indicated byarrow 536 in FIG. 20B) within the forked openings 532. The grommets 530can also travel along the edge 533 of the corresponding forked opening532, as indicated by arrows 537 in FIG. 20C. This, together with thepliable nature of the grommets 530 and isolators 520, allows for adisplacement of position of the housing 550 relative to the mountingplate 504 as well as rotation of the housing 550 relative to themounting plate 504. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 20D-20F,respectively, this construction allows the housing 550 to rotate,relative to the mounting plate 504, along or about the X-axis (asindicated by arrow 538 in FIG. 20D), the Y-axis (as indicated by arrow539 in FIG. 20E), and/or the Z-axis (as indicated by arrow 541 in FIG.20F). The result is a complex motion of the housing 550 relative to themounting plate 504 which encompasses all the movements shown anddescribed with regard to FIGS. 20A-20F. This compliance serves toinhibit transmission of vibration from one of the test slots 500 toother, neighboring test slots 500. There is, however, no singleconstraint in the illustrated construction that would restrict anypossible motion of the housing 550 relative to the mounting plate 504 toone of rotation around any particular axis or around any fixed point.

For example, FIGS. 21A-21C illustrate how, in the X-Y plane, thereexists no single or fixed center of rotation as the center of rotationassumes a floating position as the housing 550 oscillates rotationallyalong or about the Z-axis, due in part to translational movements of thehousing 550 relative the to the mounting plate 504 along or about the Xand Y-axes. As illustrated in FIGS. 21A-21C, as the housing 550 rocksback-and-forth as indicated by arrows 582 (FIG. 21A), 584 (FIG. 21B),and 586 (FIG. 21C) between the first and second floating contacts 580 a,580 b, the center of rotation of the housing 550 shifts from a firstpoint P1 (shown in FIG. 21A), to a second point P2 (shown in FIG. 21B),and then to a third point P3 (shown in FIG. 21C) and so on. Movement ofthe housing 550 relative to the mounting plate 504 can be furtherrealized by rotation of the housing 550 along or about the X and/orY-axes (illustrated in FIGS. 20D and 20E, respectively) with the resultbeing a rotational movement that floats in three dimensions.

Moreover, by constraining the grommets 530 and contact pins 566 in thepositive Y-direction, the flange members 508 also provide a set of fixedsurfaces against which the housing can abut during the insertion of adisk drive transporter 400 (with or without a disk drive 600 therein)into the test compartment 560 of the housing 550 without the opportunityfor rotation within the test housing. As illustrated in FIGS. 22A-22C,each of the slot banks 110 includes a plurality of test slot receptacles122 each of which is configured to receive and support one of the testslots 500. Each of the test slot receptacles 122 includes a pair of cardguide assemblies 124. The card guide assemblies 124 are sized to receivethe mounting flanges 534 (see, e.g., FIG. 18) of the mounting plate 504therein. The card guide assemblies 124 can include, for example, camlocks or thumbscrews, to provide a mechanical connection between thecard guide assemblies 124 and the mounting plate assemblies 502, therebytying the mounting plate assemblies 502 to ground. Since the card guideassemblies 124 engage only the mounting plate assembly 502, and not thetest slot housing 550, the housing 550 can move not only relative to therespective mounting plate 504 but also relative to the test rack chassis102. In this manner, the mounting plate assemblies 502 operate tosupport isolation, via the isolators (e.g., male-female isolators 520and grommets 530), between the test rack chassis 102 and the respectivetest slots 500 and there is no rigid connection between the two. As aresult, the transfer of vibrations from one test slot 500 to other testslots 500 within a common test rack 100 is reduced. Such vibrations may,for example, emanate from the rotation of a disk drive 600 within onethe test slots 500 or from the insertion and/or removal of a disk drivetransporter 400 (with or without a disk drive 600 therein) to and/orfrom one of the test slots 500. Vibrations originating within the testracks 100 themselves, e.g., as a result of the rotation of cooling fanswithin the test racks 100, are also isolated or damped before reachingthe individual test compartments 560 within the test slots 500. Thisconstruction also allows for the individual insertion and removal of thetest slots 500 to and from the test racks 100, as illustrated by FIG.22D.

Other details and features combinable with those described herein may befound in the following U.S. patent applications filed Dec. 18, 2007,entitled “DISK DRIVE TESTING”, with inventors: Edward Garcia et al., andhaving assigned Ser. No. 11/958,817; and “DISK DRIVE TESTING”, withinventors: Edward Garcia et al., and having assigned Ser. No.11/958,788. Other details and features combinable with those describedherein may also be found in the following U.S. patent applications filedApr. 17, 2008, entitled “Disk Drive Emulator And Method Of Use Thereof”,with inventors: Edward Garcia, and having assigned Ser. No. 12/104,594;“Transferring Disk Drives Within Disk Drive Testing Systems”, withinventors: Evgeny Polyakov et al., and having assigned Ser. No.12/104,536; “Temperature Control within Disk Drive Testing Systems”,with inventor: Brian Merrow, and having assigned Ser. No. 12/105,061;“Bulk Feeding Disk Drives To Disk Drive Testing Systems”, withinventors: Scott Noble et al., and having assigned Ser. No. 12/104,869;“Dependent Temperature Control within Disk Drive Testing Systems”, withinventors: Brian Merrow et al., and having assigned Ser. No. 12/105,069;“Enclosed Operating Area for Disk Drive Testing Systems”, with18523-079001, inventor: Brian Merrow, and having assigned Ser. No.12/105,041; and “Temperature Control within Disk Drive Testing Systems”,with inventor: Brian Merrow, and having assigned Ser. No. 12/105,107.The entire contents of all of the aforementioned patent applications arehereby incorporated by reference.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it willbe understood that various modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, otherimplementations are within the scope of the following claims.

1. A disk drive test slot comprising: a housing defining: a testcompartment for receiving a disk drive for testing, and an open endproviding access to the test compartment for insertion and removal ofthe disk drive for testing; a mounting plate connected to the housing;and a plurality of floating contacts disposed between the housing andthe mounting plate and operable to inhibit transmission of vibrationalenergy between the housing and the mounting plate, wherein the pluralityof floating contacts are displaceable in a negative Y direction relativeto U-shape or forked shaped flange members extending from the mountingplate.
 2. The disk drive test slot of claim 1, wherein the plurality offloating contacts comprise grommets, wherein the housing comprises aplurality of contact pins each of which engage a corresponding one ofthe grommets, and wherein the plurality of contact pins are disposed ata first end of the housing opposite the open end.
 3. The disk drive testslot of claim 1, wherein the plurality of floating contacts comprisegrommets, and wherein the housing is connected to the grommets in such amanner as to preload the grommets.
 4. A disk drive testing systemcomprising: a plurality of test slots, each test slot comprising: ahousing defining: a test compartment for receiving a disk drive fortesting, and an open end providing access to the test compartment forinsertion and removal of the disk drive for testing; a mounting plateconnected to the housing; and a plurality of floating contacts disposedbetween the housing and the mounting plate and operable to inhibittransmission of vibrational energy between the housing and the mountingplate, wherein the plurality of floating contacts are displaceable in anegative Y direction relative to U-shape or forked shaped flange membersextending from the mounting plate; and a chassis defining a plurality oftest slot receptacles each configured to receive and support one of theplurality of test slots, wherein the plurality of test slots are eachindependently removable from the chassis.
 5. The disk drive testingsystem of claim 4, wherein the plurality of floating contacts comprisegrommets, wherein the grommets inhibit transmission of vibrationalenergy between the test slot housings and the chassis, and wherein thehousings are connected to the grommets in such a manner as to preloadthe grommets.